Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 21-year-old Nadia Abbasi is aware every day that she managed to beat the odds. Because her father was a college professor of economics and political science, her family had decent living conditions. But as a child, she played with poor, malnourished friends who lived in tents and drank polluted water.

After moving to the U.S. at the age of five, Abbasi faced her real challenges – her father had to stop working because of a serious heart condition and her mother juggled two full-time jobs while caring for the family.

And yet, the Queens College math major is now on her way to fulfilling her dream of a college education and pursuing a business career. A QC Business Forum (QCBF) scholarship is helping her achieve these goals.

Her ultimate goal is to open a nonprofit business that would combine a homeless shelter with a vocational educational center.

“I see this scholarship as an investment in me, and I have a responsibility to give something back,” says Abbasi.

Despite her family’s financial problems and the difficulty of learning English and getting used to different customs and a new way of life, she never lost sight of how lucky she was.

“Living in the overcrowded, busy streets of Bangladesh, I never imagined I’d be fortunate enough to come to America and attend a university which offers such a wealth of opportunities for self-discovery and academic advancement,” says Abbasi.

Abbasi shoulders a full course load while working as an assistant for the college’s Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK program. This past January she landed an internship at the U.N.’s Permanent Mission of Bangladesh. Abbasi plans to graduate in 2014.